Monday 16th September was a special day for everyone at INTO Queen’s University, Belfast, as they made the acquaintance of 229 September-start students.
Aine McComb, INTO Queen’s Head of Student Services said: “I was absolutely delighted to welcome the tenth cohort of international students from 31 different nationalities to enroll on our September programmes.
"When we first began this journey, we had 16 students from 5 different nationalities who went on to fulfil their academic potential at University. I continue to feel privileged to play a part in helping build up the confidence of our students and in supporting them on their journey right through to their graduation day at Queen’s University Belfast.”
Each member of the new cohort received the usual warm welcome as they arrived at the INTO Centre from all over the world to start academic and English language pathway programmes.
That warm welcome consisted of far more than a simple ‘hello’ and a smile, as the Student Services team had meticulously planned an informative, fun-filled first two weeks to ensure that the new students got all the assistance and support they needed to settle in to their study home in Belfast.
The students received help opening a UK bank account, registering their visa with the local police, getting their timetables, joining University clubs and societies and registering with the University Health Centre.
When asked how he had found his first week in Belfast, Dmitry from Russia said: “The people here are friendly and supportive and I find the environment here in Belfast is very clean with a lot of trees and greenery. I like that I have met a lot of friends from different cultures and since meeting with my teachers, I find them very informal, friendly and approachable, which I think will help me be comfortable in learning here.”
To break the ice, the new students joined the INTO Queen’s Social Assistants on a tour around the campus and shared pizzas with them and their fellow students. Later in the week, they had lots of fun posing for photos with props and with one another in the hired photo booth, and then sharing their pictures with friends and families back home.
Chaiwat, from Thailand, gave these first impressions of INTO Queen’s staff and of Belfast: “It’s is a really nice place, I love the weather here and the architecture of the city is unique. I think that the INTO staff have guided me well around the campus and I am happy to have made friends with people from all different nationalities.”
The induction fortnight ended with a special dinner for the new students, during which they got to talk to teachers and academic and student support staff in-Centre.
Teacher of English language Marina McLaughlin said: “My new group of students comes from a diverse mix of nationalities which encourages English speaking during class and injects some fun into our class discussions. They are very keen and enthusiastic to learn, it’s just great to see them so excited to learn and begin achieving their academic goals of progressing on to Queen’s University Belfast.”
You can view a gallery of the student arrivals on Instagram and Facebook.